—
Half a tub of cheddar and onion Pringles…
A quarter box of Celebrations chocolate sweets.
About a dozen Milkybar white chocolate balls.
And that’s just the garbage I ate AFTER my Christmas dinner. Not exactly the type of confession you expect to hear from a fitness professional.
I never feel guilty about what I eat on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day – and neither should you – because it’s a time for partying and stuffing our faces.
But, the same thing happens every year in the days after eating 21,974 calories at Christmas: I end up feeling like S.H.I.T.
It’s no surprise. Booze is a well-known depressant and coming down off a sugar high never goes smoothly.
My answer is always to do some exercise to get the feel-good endorphins flowing in your system again. But I realize that your gym may not be open during the holidays.
I also realize you’d probably rather hit yourself over the head with a hammer than hammer it in the gym after too much partying this festive season.
Here’s what to do instead: a straightforward ‘Tabata’ training session you can do in your own home. Best of all, you can complete the workout in under five minutes.
I’ve created a workout demo video that you can easily follow along at home – which I’ll share at the end of this article – but first let’s dive into what Tabata training is all about.
Tabata training essentially involves 20 secs of exercise at maximum effort, followed by 10 secs of rest, repeated for eight cycles/rounds. This short, sharp burst of training is over very quickly, but the high level of intensity elevates your metabolism and maintains fat burning for up to 24 hours afterward.
Tabata is a unique form of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) that was devised by Japanese scientist Dr Izumi Tabata. Back in 1996, he worked with the Japanese Olympic speed skating team and studied the effects of short bursts of extremely high exercise on the athletes.
A test was then carried out involving two groups of athletic men in their mid-20s on a stationary bike. The first group performed basic, steady exercise and pedaled on the bike at around 70% of their V02 maximum (maximal oxygen uptake). This pace was similar to a jog outside or on the treadmill.
The second group pedaled flat out at their maximum for 20 secs and then took 10 secs rest. This was repeated for eight rounds. Their effort equated to around 170% of their V02 max in what was essentially 20 secs full-on sprints.
Both groups of men did their form of training five times per week, over a period of six weeks. The moderate-intensity group of men worked a total of five hours, while the high-intensity guys did just 20 mins overall.
The research found that the four-minute Tabata style of training had the same effects on aerobic performance improvement as 60 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise.
However, the Tabata group also saw a 28% improvement in their anaerobic capacity. (Anaerobic exercise is fuelled by energy stores in your muscles, while aerobic exercise relies solely on oxygen).
So, not only is Tabata a much shorter workout, but it’s also more effective than longer, moderate exercise.
The biggest Tabata workout benefit is the most obvious one: it’s over very quickly.
Five Fantastic Benefits Of Tabata Training
#1 It can burn FIVE times the amount of calories
This intense style of exercise is like a rocket to your metabolism and can burn five times as many calories as standard cardio, according to researchers at the Auburn University’s Kinesiology Laboratory in Montgomery, Alabama. (Study link below: https://www.al.com/living/2013/06/new_study_by_aum_professor_sug.html
#2 It preserves muscle
One of the biggest drawbacks of longer, drawn-out cardio training is that it can eat into hard-earned muscle tissue.
The Tabata protocol is different, partly because of the short amount of time it takes to complete a Tabata session.
Also, the intense nature of working flat-out in a Tabata workout places so much stress on the muscles that it signals your body to make more muscle tissue to compensate.
#3 Anti-aging effects
Mitochondria are known as the powerhouses of cells, and they play a key role in metabolism and energy production. Mitochondrial dysfunction is an important part of various diseases associated with aging, which makes sense as your body’s ability to produce mitochondria reduces with age.
However, research has shown that high-intensity interval training, such as the Tabata protocol, can trigger the creation of new mitochondria in your cells.
#4 It’s straightforward and cheap
You don’t need a gym membership or any fancy equipment to do a Tabata workout.
And there are no complications with Tabata training. It’s simply a case of working out like crazy for 20 secs, followed by gasping for air for 10 secs, and then repeat.
#5 It’s over in no time
A Tabata training session can literally be completed in just four minutes. It’s clearly one of the most efficient ways of stripping body fat and improving your health and fitness.
But don’t be fooled into thinking that means it’s easy. For the best benefits, you’ve got to work at your maximum capacity doing the exercises.
I’ve created a video guide of my favorite Tabata abs training workout that not only helps slim down your beer belly but keeps your metabolism levels heightened so that you keep burning fat for hours afterward.
—
Have you read the original anthology that was the catalyst for The Good Men Project? Buy here: The Good Men Project: Real Stories from the Front Lines of Modern Manhood
◊♦◊
If you believe in the work we are doing here at The Good Men Project and want to join our calls on a regular basis, please join us as a Premium Member, today.
All Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS.
Need more info? A complete list of benefits is here.
—
Photo courtesy iStock.